No-Cal™ Comes to Larchmont

by Joan R. Simon

(October 6, 2005) Next time you’re ordering a sandwich at Stanz or Bradley's or Local Hero or Larchmont Deli, wander over to the drinks cooler and look for a new bottle standing tall among the Cokes, Snapples and fruit juices. It’s No-Cal, a 21st century version of the first diet soda sold in the U.S. The newly re-fashioned drink, which dates back to the 50s and 60s, now comes in four new-fangled flavors: Cherry Lime, Chocolate, Clementine and Vanilla Cream. And all four flavors have a Larchmont connection.

“Lose the Waist … Not the Taste” is among the old-timey slogans for the newly reintroduced No-Cal.

Larchmonter Mike Weinstein, former CEO at Snapple, and his partner Brian O’Byrne, former CEO of Yoo-hoo/Orangina, have taken their collective beverage expertise and launched INOV8 Beverage Company with No-Cal as their first offering. No-Cal was originally invented in New York in 1952 for diabetics and became a popular local drink. But as Coke, Pepsi and the other big players in the soda industry got into the diet drink business, No-Cal gradually lost ground. With the introduction of aspartame in 1983 as a more palatable substitute for saccharin, diet drinks took off in the U.S., but by then No-Cal was no more.

Why go back to an old drink? Mr. Weinstein commented, “Everything about the product is totally different from the original product. We’re trying to bring back an old feeling, not an old brand.” While it’s slightly carbonated, the beverage entrepreneurs claim that when people try No-Cal, “They don’t feel like they’re drinking diet soda.” Mr. O’Byrne added, “We discovered formulas so good, it was hard for us to believe they were calorie free.” And here’s a tip from the creators: add a dash of milk (skim’s okay) to the chocolate No-Cal and you’ll get the taste of an old-fashioned (but guilt-free) egg cream.

More eateries, including the local pizza shops, will be carrying No-Cal soon. And in time you’ll be able to buy it in the grocery stores in 4-packs of 12 oz. long-neck bottles, reminiscent of an earlier era.

Next time you’re ordering a sandwich at Stanz or Local Hero or Manor Park Deli, wander over to the drinks cooler and look for a new bottle standing tall among the Cokes, Snapples and fruit juices. It’s No-Cal, a 21 st century version of the first diet soda sold in the U.S. The newly re-fashioned drink, which dates back to the 50s and 60s, now comes in four dramatic flavors: Cherry Lime, Chocolate, Clementine and Vanilla Cream. And all four flavors have a Larchmont connection.

Larchmonter Mike Weinstein, former CEO at Snapple, and his partner Brian O’Byrne, former CEO of Yoo-hoo/Orangina, have taken their collective beverage expertise and launched INOV8 Beverage Company with No-Cal as their first offering. No-Cal was originally invented in New York in 1952 for diabetics and became a popular local drink. But as Coke, Pepsi and the other big players in the soda industry got into the diet drink business, No-Cal gradually lost ground. With the introduction of aspartame in 1983 as a more palatable substitute for saccharin, diet drinks took off in the U.S., but by then No-Cal was no more.

Why go back to an old drink? Mr. Weinstein commented, “Everything about the product is totally different from the original product. We’re trying to bring back an old feeling, not an old brand.” While it’s slightly carbonated, the beverage entrepreneurs claim that when people try No-Cal, “They don’t feel like they’re drinking diet soda.” Mr. O’Byrne added, “We discovered formulas so good, it was hard for us to believe they were calorie free.” And here’s a tip from the creators: add a dash of milk (skim’s okay) to the chocolate No-Cal and you’ll get the taste of an old-fashioned (but guilt-free) egg cream

More eateries, including the local pizza shops, will be carrying No-Cal soon. And in time you’ll be able to buy it in the grocery stores in 4-packs of 12 oz. long-neck bottles, reminiscent of an earlier era. And another touch of retro -- you’ll need a bottle opener to remove the cap.